It was bucket and spade time for new mum and dad Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin, who stayed at the exclusive resort in a cottage belonging to film director Steven Spielberg last week. But duty called for Martin, who made a few trips from the beach to a New York recording studio to work on his band’s new album. The rest of the time, he was catching waves on his surfboard. Locals said the singer had some impressive moves – for a Brit.

Taking a break from the water, Martin reportedly admitted to the New York Post that he once lost his rag with a photographer in Australia who was snapping him missing waves and “was going to make me look like a tosser“.“It’s the last place we have where we are not bothered by photographers,” said Paltrow, somewhat unbelievably, because the snappers must be hiding up trees all over the Hamptons right now.

The proud mum didn’t bother with a nanny, like so many other stars, and was seen taking baby Apple out for strolls in the pushchair and to play on the beach.

Health conscious 30-year-old Paltrow managed to fit in yoga classes and visited an organic café for soy milk smoothies and tofu when Coldplay front man Martin was on nappy duty.

Source: The Scotsman

Alan replied, "I really regret making that Coldplay comment. It made Coldplay a lot more interesting than they actually are."

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Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland will be playing a benefit gig for Californian public radio station 89.9 FM KCRW on Saturday, November 20 at the 6,000 capacity Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles.

The gig, billed as ‘A Sounds Eclectic Evening’ will be Coldplay’s only performance in America this year and also features Rilo Kiley and Nellie McKay (other artists will be announced in the coming weeks).KCRW was the first radio station in America to play Coldplay in 2000, with the band making their US live radio debut on December 20 of that year on the station’s lead music show, ‘Morning Becomes Eclectic’. Even after Coldplay’s meteoric rise to success in America, they continued to return to the station for interviews and sessions.

KCRW Music Director Nic Harcourt said in a statement,

“KCRW is thrilled that Chris and Jonny are going to perform at this year’s Sounds Eclectic Evening. The concert is not only a chance for us to showcase some of the most famous artists who received our on-air support early in their careers, but also up-and-coming artists and bands that we believe in. I’m always excited about these shows and this one should be a great success as a benefit for the station, as well as being one of the best live shows in Southern California this year.”

Since 2001, KCRW’s ‘Sounds Eclectic’ concerts have featured performances by Aimee Mann, Beck, Beth Orton, Blackalicious, Damien Rice, DJ Shadow, Elliott Smith, Felix Da Housecat, Gary Jules, Jurassic 5, Liz Phair, Norah Jones, Ozomatli, Pete Yorn, Sparklehorse, The Polyphonic Spree and Zero 7.

Tickets for the event go on sale to the through Ticketmaster on Monday October 11.

Meanwhile, guess who's described as being anti-Coldplay? You can find out here.

Chris Martin and co flew out to the Big Apple with producer Ken Nelson at the beginning of July to record songs for the follow up to A Rush Of Blood To The Head, which is set for release at the start of 2005. It's their third studio session after demoting the album in Chicago and recording in London earlier this year.

You can discuss this story here [thanks Guy's Berrygirl]

Source: NME

'Brothers & Sisters', a pre-Parachutes release, landed at #2 on the 'Top Albums' chart on the iTunes music store. Also in the 'Top 100 Songs' chart, 'Clocks' was rated #47 and 'Only Superstition' was rated #75 out of the millions of songs off the iTunes Music Store.

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Source: Apple itunes [Thanks Steve]

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Source: NYPost

Close friends have said that it will be "a very quiet affair". One pal said: “It will be more like that of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin – nice and discreet.

You can discuss this story hereAccording to The Sun, the singer, 23, proposed after asking her parents for her hand. He also asked his mum for her permission to marry the Shrek 2 star.

Justin was recently seen shopping for an engagement ring for Cameron, 31, before popping the question. A representative of the former N’Sync member confirmed the news of the wedding. "Cameron is absolutely thrilled about the engagement. They are both very much in love."

Source: icberkshire

He heads an 18 man list that includes the Prince of Wales, three British actors and Coldplay singer Chris Martin.

Chris Martin, married to actress Gwyneth Paltrow, is in the list as “he knows how to pull off today’s hot high-low look, mixing a T-shirt and jeans with a suit jacket.”

You can discuss this story here“Andre’s a complete individual,” Nick Sullivan, the US magazine’s fashion director, said today. “But that’s really the point.”

Andre 3000 is the usually outrageously dressed half of hip-hip duo OutKast.

Some of the 30-year-old’s fashion outings include: a lime green jacket at the 2004 Grammy Awards, candy apple red fur for the VH1 Big in 2003 ceremony and a pink-on-pink ensemble for the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards.

“He’s probably worn his most outrageous when he’s in a video or on stage,” said Sullivan, who said Esquire’s list is more about personal style than a celebrity’s stylist’s style.

Britons named among the best dressed men in the world include the Prince of Wales, actors Jude Law, Hugh Grant and Paul Bettany who was described by Sullivan as: “The classic Brit who knows how to split between dressing up and dressing down.

This year’s list has gone global because “men are starting to look beyond America for their style cues,” said Sullivan.

“People see soccer stars and film stars and sportsmen all over the world, and it changes the mix of clothing inspiration.”

Source: Irish New Online

Radio jocks described the Keane sound as "somewhere between a scuffed Coldplay and a bewildered Beautiful South."

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Jamelia is in Australia to promote her latest album Thank You, which features the number one single, Superstar and has sold almost 35,000 copies here. A music maniac since owning her first karaoke machine at age 12, Jamelia scored a record deal at 15 after a cousin handed a home-made karaoke tape to EMI.

"My aunties and cousins and my mum and everyone came to the EMI meeting," she says. "It was just one couch and all my family was sitting on it, with me in the middle. We bombarded them."

The album is littered with musical cameos, including one by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, who approached Jamelia's record company with a song he'd penned for her.

Despite her superstar status, Jamelia admits getting the jitters around famous folk. "I'm such a huge fan of Coldplay and to be in the studio with Chris Martin was one of the most overwhelming experiences I've ever had. "After an hour and a half, I finally got over the fact that I was in the studio with Chris Martin and then he says, 'Oh, I'd love you to meet my girlfriend.' And I was like, 'Oh please no."'

Source: smh.com.au

The distributor, AmpedMusic.com.au, is the exclusive Australian and New Zealand vendor for US music company 'The Orchard' that is claimed to be the largest non-major label music distributor in the world. The site features music acts from over 50 countries. Telstra said in a release it "will now be able to offer customers an extensive, diverse range of music catering to all tastes".

BidPond managing director, Justin Milne, said the deal is "fantastic news" for both music lovers and independent local artists. As The Orchard adds more labels and artists to its library we will continue to increase the number of tracks available on BigPondMusic.com," Milne said.

AmpedMusic.com.au managing director, Gary Mackenzie, said the relationship creates a good opportunity for local acts to market their music in Australia. "The Orchard is growing at a rapid rate and now represents over 3,000 Independent labels across all genres including thousands of artists such as Coldplay, Killing Heidi, Savage Garden, Green Day, The Donnas and Placebo to name a few," Mackenzie said.

Telstra stated in its release that music from International labels such as Lookout, Sonic 360, Cleopatra, French Kiss and Fierce Panda -- who are claimed to have exclusive rights to Coldplay's debut single 'Brothers & Sisters' -- will now be available thanks to the agreement.

Source: zdnet.com.au

Keane pianist Tim Rice-Oxley studied at university in London with Coldplay singer Chris Martin and the two groups started out together. Nevertheless, Rice-Oxley insists they see Coldplay as contemporaries rather than influences.

He explains, "I don't think we sound Coldplay. We are friends with them but I wouldn't say they're hugely influential. I'm not hugely comfortable with either comparison but I'd be more at ease with Travis. We see Coldplay as contemporaries as we started off at the same time, but it happened more quickly for them. It took us eight years, but we're glad to be here. Better late than never."

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Source: ContactMusic

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In his spending review last month, Chancellor Gordon Brown announced that official development assistance would increase to A£6.5 billion - 0.47% of national income - by 2007, and reaffirmed the Government's aim of meeting the United Nations target of 0.7% by 2013.

In their open letter, the celebrities and aid workers congratulated the Chancellor and Prime Minister Tony Blair on the move, which they estimated could provide clean water for 14 million people, educate 2 million children or avert the premature death of up to 250,000 infants.

Britain wants to make tackling world poverty a key theme of its presidencies of the EU and the G8 group of industrialised nations next year. The commitment to boost its aid budget will give it greater moral authority in pressing other rich countries like Japan and the USA to meet the UN target.

The letter, for publication in The Independent, read: "It's unfashionable to congratulate politicians in public but we're going to do it anyway, to say thanks for increasing the funds available to tackle world poverty now and for committing to reach the UN aid-giving target by 2013 at the latest. Thousands of people campaigned, and you responded, and lives in the poorest parts of the world will be transformed as a result. Whatever our other disagreements, the impact of this achievement should be celebrated."

Also signing the letter were actors Minnie Driver, Colin Firth, Helen Mirren, Michelle Collins, Joseph Fiennes and Tony Robinson, screenwriter Richard Curtis, designer Katharine Hamnett, author Ben Okri, businesswoman Anita Roddick and Unicef ambassadors Jemima Khan and Sir Roger Moore. The letter was backed by six of Britain's leading aid charities: Data, Oxfam, Plan UK, Tearfund, Unicef UK and WaterAid.

Oxfam policy director Justin Forsyth said: "The increase in aid has set the ground for a major breakthrough at next year's G8. However the fight against poverty will only be won through continued public pressure and genuine commitment from world leaders."

from Coldplaying.com Will fans!

Through The Orchard's unparalleled distribution capability, Fierce Panda artists such as Coldplay will be digitally distributed to and actively marketed across all the legal digital music services in the United States and Europe, including eMusic, iTunes (in the US, UK and Europe), Napster, Musicmatch, Rhapsody and Buymusic.

Other Fierce Panda artists include Ash, Supergrass, Placebo, Lo-Fidelity Allstars, Idlewild, Hundred Reasons, The Polyphonic Spree, Death Cab for Cutie and Keane."Fierce Panda's catalogue includes some of the highest-quality and most popular music available today," said Greg Scholl, managing director of Dimensional Associates and chief executive of The Orchard. "Offering this music for sale online serves music fans throughout the world. We look forward to working with Fierce Panda and its artists to distribute and market their music to a global audience, alongside other top independents already distributed by The Orchard such as Lookout! Records and multi-platinum artists like Roger McGuinn."

"We have never made our catalogue available for sale digitally, so this is an exciting and logical next step for our artists and their fans," said Philip Ingles, Label Manager of Fierce Panda. "We also look forward to working with The Orchard and their digital retailers to introduce the latest crop of Fierce Panda artists to the world. After reviewing all the alternatives, we are thrilled to select The Orchard as our marketing and distribution partner."

About The Orchard

The Orchard (http://www.theorchard.com) is the leading distributor of independent music in the world, representing over 2,500 labels and thousands of artists spanning over 50 countries and every music genre. The Orchard supplies their catalog of over 200,000 tracks to all of the leading legal digital music services throughout the world, and also offers traditional retail CD distribution to both brick-and-mortar and online outlets in the United States. The Orchard is headquartered in New York, with operations in London, Tokyo, Buenos Aires and Melbourne.

About Dimensional Associates, Inc.

Dimensional Associates, Inc., is the New York-based private equity arm of JDS Capital Management, Inc. Its portfolio companies include eMusic and The Orchard.

About Fierce Panda Records

Fierce Panda (http://www.fiercepanda.co.uk) is a London-based independent record company that has released over 150 singles and 35 albums in the last decade. Free from the traditional constraints of the music business (i.e. contracts, five album deals, huge marketing spends, cocaine addictions...) it has earned an enviable reputation for talent spotting through pivotal singles from the likes of Coldplay, Bright Eyes, Supergrass, Placebo, Polyphonic Spree and Keane while happily retaining other artists such as Death Cab For Cutie and Seafood over longer periods.

Source: PRNewsWire

Associated Websites:

Source: Fierce Panda

Source: The Orchard

Talking place at London's Barbican Art Gallery, 'Communicate: Independent British Graphic Design Since The Sixties' will include album covers, poster campaigns and pop videos spanning 1960's psychedelia to 1980's new wave to 1990's dance music as well from today's music.

Amongst the items on display will be Peter Blake's cover for The Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band', Spiritualized's 'Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space' by Farrow, Massive Attack's 'Mezzanine' by Tom Hingston, and Peter Saville's designs for Factory records, Joy Division and Suede.

Also included will be Intro's cover for Primal Scream's 'XTRMNTR', Jamie Reid's designs for The Sex Pistols', Vaughn Oliver's Pixies artwork and Blue Source's creation for Coldplay's 'A Rush Of Blood To The Head' (pictured).

The exhibition opens on September 16 and will run until January 23. Advance tickets can be booked by phoning 0845 1207550 (UK).

Source: NME

The most popular 104 songs from this year's poll will make up our shortlist which will be played out in full on August Bank Holiday, but remember, this week is your last chance to vote for your favourites!

For more details, please visit:

http://www.xfm.co.uk/sectional.asp?id=1464

or to vote for your favourites, go straight to:

http://www.xfm.co.uk/Article.asp?id=30199

Garden State: Music From The Motion Picture, the companion album to the upcoming Fox Searchlight romantic comedy starring, written and directed by Zach Braff (of TV's Scrubs), will be released by Epic Records on Tuesday August 10th, 2004.

Music plays a prominent role in Garden State and Braff hand-picked the songs featured in the film. The songs he chose serve to lend additional emotional depth and colour to the film's story.

The soundtrack includes a wide array of music, ranging from classic pop, rock, and folk artist to more contemporary musicians. Featured tracks on the album come courtesy of Coldplay, British duo Frou Frou, indie-pop darlings The Shins, Iron & Wine, cult hero Nick Drake, U.K. soul outfit Zero 7, former Men at Work frontman Colin Hay, alterna-rockers Remy Zero, instrumental rhythm kings Thievery Corporation, and legendary songwriting duo Simon & Garfunkel."Essentially, I made a mix CD with all of the music that I felt was scoring my life at the time I was writing the screenplay," remarks Braff about his song chocies. However, given the film's limited budget, getting the rights to some of those songs wasn't easy. "The sort of money that was originally quoted could have funded a few small independent pictures," he explains. "I'm just thankful that after I showed them the sequences in which their songs were used, the artists or their estates were generous enough to work within our budgets."

Here is the complete track listing for Garden State: Music From The Motion Picture:

1. Don't Panic- Coldplay

2. Caring Is Creepy- The Shins

3. In The Waiting Line- Zero 7

4. New Slang- The Shins

5. I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You- Colin Hay

6. Blue Eyes- Cary Brothers

7. Fair- Remy Zero

8. One Of These Things First- Nick Drake

9. Lebanese Blonde- Thievery Corporation

10. The Only Living Boy In New York- Simon & Garfunkel

11. Such Great Heights- Iron and Wine

12. Let Go- Frou Frou

13. Winding Road- Bonnie Somerville

Source: ign.com.

The Clocks hitmaker is having the time of his life as he works on the band's new album and credits his tiny daughter with making all his dreams come true.

Martin gushes: "Everything's great. I've just been writing lyrics and doing baby things. It's great man, it's the best thing that's ever happened. If someone told me my life at the moment would be changing nappies and writing lyrics I would've taken it, Y'know? It's my dream come true."

But, although he admits Apple is proving to be an inspiration in songwriting terms, Martin insists the new record won't be awash with baby talk. He laughs: "Once you know you're gonna have a baby that kicks in anyway, so its been happening for 10 months, but I mean I'm not singing about nappies or anything."

Source: online.ie

Chris Martin originally wrote the song for Coldplay but as it developed it became clear to him that the song might be better suited to Embrace. As he explains, "We've always loved Embrace and Danny is one of my best friends.

When we wrote Gravity we thought it sounded far too much like them for us, but not too much like them for them, so I asked Danny if he wanted the song and that was that."Embrace have always taken the organic approach to songwriting. They believe in writing what comes naturally. And what comes naturally are songs that are life affirming, heartfelt and all embracing.

These themes have remained a constant throughout Embrace's career and hence it's no surprise that they recur once more on the band's latest album due for release in September.

Heralding the album's release is debut single Gravity, a song that bears all the hallmarks of a Danny McNamara composition.

Expressive, panoramic in scope and featuring McNamara's most powerfully emotive vocal to date, Gravity would sit comfortably alongside any one of Embrace songs.

And yet it was written by Coldplay singer and songwriter Chris Martin.

The decision to record another artist's song might seem surprising were it not for a long standing friendship between Martin and McNamara dating back to when Coldplay supported Embrace at the Blackpool Empress Ballroom in 2000.

On hearing the song, McNamara felt it was just what was missing from the album. "There was no out and out love song, something there'd always been in the past." He says, "You could say there was a Gravity shaped hole waiting to be filled".

And whilst he admits to some reservations about covering some one else's song he's had to concede that Gravity sounds like "the best ballad I never wrote".

Gravity will be released on August 30th, prior to the album's release on Sept 13th.

Produced by long time collaborator Youth, and in it's final stages of recording, the album will feature 10 Embrace compositions in addition to the single.

Coldplay's Chris went into the studio with Skinner to record vocals for the acclaimed single but, upon hearing a take in which his voice was replaced by Skinner's, Martin insisted they cut him out.He explains, "There was this version of it which I sang the chorus. But I said I didn't think it was as good as the version where he sang the chorus. Then he didn't think that was as good as the version where some other dude sang the chorus, so neither him nor me sing on the chorus."

But the experience hasn't put Martin off working with Skinner in the future. In fact, he can't wait to do it again. Martin enthuses, "It was cool too... it was cool to spend the day with him. He's an amazing guy. You know, there are some great rappers coming out. I don't know whether he'd class himself as a rapper or a MC or whatever."

Source: ContactMusic

The song, which was released as a single this week (July 19) and could become the rapper's biggest ever hit, was originally recorded with the Coldplay star on backing vocals. However, it was decided that a different version would be used, and the collaboration between two of Britain’s biggest stars would never see the light of day.

Speaking today (July 21), Skinner claimed that a US radio station had got a copy of the song, meaning the track could be available online. He also gave his reasons as to why the song hasn’t been released officially.

If you have it or know someone who does then let us know here!He told Radio 1: "It was leaked on an American radio station - so I don't know if it's got on the Internet yet. There's another company that owns the copyright on his voice and that's a very big company. I sent it in, I went over to Camden and recorded it in their studio with my laptop and then I took it back and mixed it and finished it and sent it back to his label and all we really heard was 'No it's not really working', so I don't really know really. I get the impression that he didn't like the sound of his voice on it or that his record label didn't want it to happen."

Martin recently gave his side of the story. He said: "There was this version of it which I sang the chorus. But I said I didn’t think it was as good as the version where he sang the chorus. Then he didn’t think that was as good as the version where some other dude sang the chorus, so neither him nor me sing on the chorus."

The Streets’ second album ’A Grand Don’t Come For Free’ was yesterday nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, and is the bookies favourite at 3-1.

Skinner said that he’s not too keen on the awards, but that’s meant as a general thing rather than a snub of the Mercury’s.

He continued: "People say I snub awards but I don't, I don't go cos I don't fit in. The Mercurys are really full on and I didn't realise you're supposed to wear a suit and I turned up in my trainers and cap (last time). I won't go this time, I've been thinking about it, so don't bet on me winning cos you don't get an award if you don't go! It is a great award and I'm very proud to be nominated again."

Source: NME